WTB Erdnase Replica Hardcover

[MonkMagic]

Hey Folks,

Long time lurker here - I’d like to buy a copy of one of the green hardcover replicas of Expert. Please let me know if you’re interested in selling a copy.

[Bill Mullins]

Be aware that there are a couple of different books to which you could be referring.

There's the "Centennial Edition", released in 2002, that routinely goes for a couple hundred dollars or more.

Then there's another edition from six or seven years ago that is much less expensive.

[MonkMagic]

Hi Bill,

I’m aware of the editions - debating on how much I’m willing to pay. On the other hand, print on demand cloth covers cost about $100 these days.

[Roger M.]

I have a spare 2002 Centennial Edition still in its original shrink wrap ... sealed up tight and never touched.

[Bill Mullins]

Here is a HB POD version for not very much. How close it comes to being a "replica" is up in the air, though.

The Charles & Wonder HB is green and a very nice edition, but not so close as to be a facsimile replica. It's about forty bucks.

[MonkMagic]

Hey Bill - I have the Charles and Wonder paperback. It’s a very nice upgrade over the Dover edition. I haven’t picked up the hardback since it’s just a gray cloth cover.

[MonkMagic]

I have a spare 2002 Centennial Edition still in its original shrink wrap ... sealed up tight and never touched.

I’ve sent you a DM - thanks!

[Bill Mullins]

I haven’t picked up the hardback since it’s just a gray cloth cover.

You're right. I had misremembered the book.

[mrmagik68]

I have a Facsimile replica that was printed in 2002 however, how can I tell if it is a "Centennial Edition"?

[Bill Mullins]

The Centennial edition is the one that was printed in 2002 (100 years after the original being published in 1902, hence "centennial").

[Jason England]

The 2002 facsimile edition routinely sells for $300-400 dollars online. Just FYI.

Jason

[Roger M.]

I have a Facsimile replica that was printed in 2002 however, how can I tell if it is a "Centennial Edition"?

If it was published in 2002, is hardbound in green, beautifully made, and has a loose one page publishers notes inside the cover, it's the desirable Centennial/Facsimile edition.

I tried to attach a photo of the publishers note for reference, but got an error message from the forum - "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached."

[Denis Behr]

It's the one I used for the listing on my site, and it's also the one in the photograph: https://www.conjuringarchive.com/list/book/125

[Bill Mullins]

And here is Chuck Romano's 2015 close-to-facsimile edition.

[Richard Kaufman]

I tried to attach a photo of the publishers note for reference, but got an error message from the forum - "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached."

You can use the website Imgur for attaching photos here.

[erdnasephile]

Has the identity of the publisher of the centennial edition ever been discovered?

[Roger M.]

Has the identity of the publisher of the centennial edition ever been discovered?

Not publicly.
I wound up with 7 copies still in shrink-wrap, and have sold a few over the years ... but in the act of repeatedly engaging with folks regarding the 2002 edition, I have the distinct impression that some folks know do indeed know who the publisher is, but they've been sworn to some sort of secrecy that has so far lasted 22 years.

[Richard Kaufman]

Rumored to have been Michael Cannick, right?

[Roger M.]

I’ve heard Canick’s name mentioned before, but the most knowledgable source I’ve read (somebody who posts here on the forum as a matter of fact) noted that as far as he knew, the publisher was an essentially unknown, but wealthy individual who had nothing to do with magic … but was obsessed with Erdnase, and owned a first edition from which the Centennial Edition was modelled.

[Jason England]

Based on a curious hint from a friend and some online detective work, I figured out who the publisher is about 10 years ago.

It is NOT Cannick. And it's true that he's not a well-known performer to most, though he IS a performer - not just a hobbyist or historian.

I spoke with the actual publisher at the collector's convention in Las Vegas in August. It was the first time we'd met that I can recall. I told him that I knew he had published the book. He seemed mildly surprised but smiled and acknowledged. He also stated that he was considering possibly coming forward for the 20th anniversary of the centennial edition (that would be this year).

If he does, great. He deserves to be recognized for doing such a terrific job with the facsimile edition.

Of course, if he doesn't, then mum's the word from me.

Jason